Permanent waving



Aug. 3, 1937. v w. A. v. THOMSEN 88,673

PERMANENT WAVING Filed Dec. 17, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M Q VJ%EN TOR Aug. 3, 1937. w; A. v. THOMSEN I v 2,038,673

' PERMANENT WAVING File d Dec. 17, 1955 g Sheets-Sheet 2 E7 3 Wm WZiiii TTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 3, 1937 UNITED STATES zpsatn PATENT OFFIQE PERMANENT WAVING of Delaware Application December 17, 1935, Serial No. 54,857

12 Claims.

The present invention relates to permanent waving and more particularly to a novel and improved permanent waving machine in which the flexible conductors through which power is supplied to the heaters are so arranged and constructed as to prevent tangling or otherwise becoming seriously disarranged.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, construction, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

1 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detailed top plan view l of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;

4 Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a cross section through a typical conductor used in the illustrative embodiment.

The present invention has for its object the provision of an improved and novel permanent waving machine in which the parts are arranged and constructed so as to provide a minimum of annoyance to the operator in placing the equipment in use. A further object is the provision of a permanent waving machine in which the flexible conductors supplying power to the heaters are specially constructed to avoid entanglement with each other or with other parts of the equipment. Still another object is the provision of a permanent waving heater and conductor assembly in which the conductor is resilient throughout its length in one direction while it is relatively rigid in another direction whereby the conductor tends to support itself while retaining its needed flexibility.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention, the permanent waving machine is of the type in which there is a support to be positioned above the customers head, and the heaters for individually heating the wound curls are supported on a support by means of their flexi- .55 ble conductors which are frictionally held at the correct height by cord gripping devices mounted on the support. As embodied, the conductors are connected to their source of power by means of connector plugs which are separably connected with bus-bars mounted within the support. The conductors are preferably spaced substantially uniformly around the circular support by uniform spacing of the cord gripping devices and the conductors are maintained against tangling with each other and with other parts of the equipment by means of a flat resilient strip enclosed within 'the flexible sheath encasing the flexible conductors supplying power to each of the heaters. This flat resilient strip provides resiliency in one direction, and stiffness in another direction so that the conductors loop attractively above the support and facilitate the proper adjustment of the height of the heaters for the different customers and the different parts of the head.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring now in detail to the illustrative embodiment of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawings, the present invention is illustrated in connection with a permanent waving machine employing spiral heaters which may be interchanged with heaters of the Croquignole type, although the invention in many of its aspects is applicable to the heaterless type of machine in which the heaters are only temporarily connected with their flexible conductors. In the various figures of the drawings, only a few of the heaters and their conductors are shown, although it will be understood that any suitable number of these heaters of one type or another may be used, the number and type depending upon the choice of the operator and the type of work being performed by the machine. Usually from 24 to 36 such heaters are provided, and frequently the heaters for the major portion of the head are of the spiral type while those for the rear portion of the head, and sometimes for the sides of the head are of the Croquignole type.

As is usual in permanent waving machines, there is provided a base structure H) which carries the suitable timing devices ll, switches l2 and voltage regulators l3 supplying power to conductors which are connected to the heaters 20. These conductors may be conveniently enclosed within the supporting tubes I4 which support the bus bars l5 and the concentric supporting ring Hi to be positioned above the customers head. The cord gripping means 2| for frictionally holding the conductors at heaters at the proper height may be of the form shown and described in the patent to Carl G. Gross, No. 1,980,680, and as there shown are detachably secured to the supporting ring 16 so that the heaters may be quickly and easily detached from the power supplying bus bars and other heaters of the same or different kind substituted. Preferably the slots 22 in the supporting ring l6 are evenly spaced so that when a full complement of heaters are in use the heaters 20 are uniformly spaced from each other, and the conductors are similarly spaced presenting a neat and sightly appearance, at the same time preventing entanglement of the conductors.

In accordance with the present invention, the conductors are connected in sets to the connectors 23 and each pair of conductors is connected to its individual heater 20. The conductors 24 are each formed of a large number of fine flexible wires enclosed within a sheath 25 of insulating composition which is, in turn, encased in a fabric covering 21 and the pair of conductors are laid closely together and parallel to each other and are not twisted. Along at least one side of the pair of conductors 24 there is provided a flat resilient strip, such as a thin steel spring 28 of considerable width and the conductors and spring are securely fastened together and permanently held in a fixed relation by means of a sheath, such as the fabric covering 30. The spring extends from a point closely adjacent to the connector 23 along each pair of conductors 24 to a point closely adjacent to the respective heaters 20 and thus provides a. substantial support for the conductors throughout their length, holding them neatly looped as shown in Figure 1.

The connectors 23 are provided with prongs 32 to fit into and make electrical connection with holes 33 in the bus bars and thus direct the conductors definitely upward. As the connectors are spaced from each other and the conductors are similarly spaced from each other by means of the cord gripping devices 2|, the intermediate portions of the conductors are well spaced from each other. The flat springs 28 give a resiliency to the conductors so that they are self-supporting, while retaining their flexibility, and the width of the spring insures that the conductors will be spaced from each other, while the pivotal action of the cord gripping devices allows the heaters 20 to be brought to any desired portion of the customers head without discomfort to the patron. The springs 28 also add to the longitudinal stiffness of the conductors to facilitate the vertical adjustment of the heaters.

The heaters are easily replaced and it is necessary only to detach the connector 23 and the cord gripping devices associated therewith, thereby permitting the connector, two heaters and their conductors to be replaced by others.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:-

1. In a permanent waving machine the combination of a support to be positioned above a customers head, a plurality of heaters, flexible conductors for supplying power to said heaters, means for frictionally engaging and holding said conductors on said support and a source of power to which said conductors are connected, said conductors, being resiliently flexible in certain directions and relatively rigid in other directions.

2. In a permanent waving machine the combination of a support to be positioned above a customers head, a plurality of heaters, flexible conductors for supplying power to said heaters, means for frictionally engaging and holding said conductors on said support and a, source of power to which said conductors are connected, said conductors being fastened to resilient strips of material having transverse rigidity.

3. In a permanent waving machine the combination of a support to be positioned above a customers head, a plurality of heaters, flexible conductors for supplying power to said heaters, means for frictionally engaging and holding said conductors on said support and a source of power to which said conductors are connected, said conductors being grouped in pairs and enclosed within a casing which also encloses a thin flat strip of resilient material.

4. In a permanent waving machine the combi 5. In a permanent waving machine the combination of a support tobe positioned above a customers head, a plurality of heaters, flexible conductors for supplying power to said heaters, means for frictionally engaging and holding said conductors on said support, bus bars supported with said support, attachment plugs connectible with said bus bars, pairs of said conductors being connected to each of said plugs and springs encased with said conductors and extending the length thereof for maintaining said pairs spaced from each other.

6. In a permanent waving machine the combination of a support to be positioned above a customers head, flexible conductors for supplying power to heaters on the customer's head, means for frictionally engaging and holding said conductors on said support and a source of power to which said conductors are connected, said conductors being resiliently flexible in certain directions and relatively rigid in other directions.

7. A permanent waving appliance including in combination a heater, an attachment plug and a flexible conductor connecting the heater to the plug, a spring about the conductor and extending the length thereof and a casing enclosing said conductor and spring and securing them together.

8. A permanent waving appliance including in combination a heater, terminals, and a flexible conductor connecting the heater and terminals, a flat spring paralleling the conductor and a casing within which the conductor and spring are enclosed;

9. A permanent waving appliance including in combination heaters, an attachment plug, conductors connecting the heaters with the plug, flat springs paralleling the conductors for each heater and a casing surrounding the conductor and spring leading to each heater for securing the conductor to its spring.

10. In a permanent waving machine the combination of an annular support to be positioned above a customers head, a plurality of heaters, flexible conductors for supplying power to said heaters, means symmetrically positionable for frictionally engaging and holding said conductors on said support and a source of power to which said conductors are connected, said conductors being resiliently flexible in certain directions and relatively rigid in other directions.

11. In a permanent waving machine the combination of an annular support to be positioned above a customers head, a plurality of heaters, flexible conductors for supplying power to said heaters, means symmetrically positionable for frictionally engaging and holding said conductors on said support and a source of power to which said conductors are connected, said conductors being grouped in pairs and enclosed within a casing which also encloses a thin fiat strip of resilient material.

12. In a permanent waving machine the combination of an annular support to be positioned above a customers head, a plurality of heaters, flexible conductors for supplying power to said heaters, means symmetrically positionable for frictionally engaging and holding said conductors on said support, bus bars supported with said support, attachment plugs connectable with said bus bars, pairs of said conductors being connected to each of said plugs and springs encased with said conductors and extending the length thereof for maintaining said pairs spaced from each other.

WILLIAM A. V. THOMSEN. 

